Generally described, an open front cooler includes a refrigerated open enclosure with a number of products therein within the reach of a consumer. Because of this quick and easy accessibility and proximity to the chilled products therein, open front coolers often spur impulse purchases by consumers who prefer chilled products to those at ambient temperatures. As a result, open front coolers generally provide an increased sales volume over conventional glass door merchandisers and the like of the same size and/or in similar locations and/or with products stored at ambient temperatures on shelves.
One drawback with conventional open front coolers, however, is that the cooler consumes several times more energy than a glass door merchandiser of the same size due to the lack of a door or other type of insulated front space. The increased sales revenue generally provided by an open front cooler thus may not cover or justify the increased energy cost.
There is thus a desire therefore for an improved open front cooler or other type of merchandiser that promotes impulse purchases and easy accessibility like an open front cooler but with the reduced energy costs of a glass door merchandiser and the like.